Conflict risk

When news of the trademark applications emerged earlier this year, experts from across the US political spectrum said granting them could be considered an "emolument" - the term for a fee, salary or profit provided by a foreign government.

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Donald Trump has business interests around the world, including this Trump-branded (but not owned) project in Mumbai.

These are outlawed by the Constitution.

Barack Obama's former ethics lawyer Norman Eisen said there was a risk of a conflict of interest.

"The concern of the constitution is that flows of benefit to presidents from foreign sovereigns will distort their judgment, and trademarks are certainly capable of that," he said in January.

Meanwhile Richard Painter, a former chief ethics lawyer to President George W. Bush, said the volume of new approvals raised questions about whether Beijing was being favourable to the US President.

"A routine trademark, patent or copyright from a foreign government is likely not an unconstitutional emolument, but with so many trademarks being granted over such a short time period, the question arises as to whether there is an accommodation in at least some of them," he said.

Recently former US basketball star Michael Jordan won a trademark dispute over the use of his name in China.